The Tweed is an awesome on campus resource that you can check out here http://www.d.umn.edu/tma/ It's an art museum that displays artwork from all over but also serves as a weekly venue for seniors in art programs to showcase their work as well as a multitude of other things. I definitely recommend checking it out.

This course was an experience in digital art and its applications in the classroom. Our big project was the digital arts workshop that we did over the course of several weeks and I posted about it earlier in the blog. The official project website is here http://blog.lib.umn.edu/jrock2/workshop09/ and there you can find a summary of what we're all about.

Being this was the final project for the class, I wanted to do something I would have fun with. My film was inspired off of what we did in project 3, the Digital Workshop. I know I didn't want to do something with a green screen but instead take an existing space (in this case my bathroom) and create a little adventure. I went to Target and picked up some rather generic action figures who had many joints. This allowed me to get more movement out of my figures than I would have if I had used less movable figures.

The concept is a race throughout my bathroom to get to a finish line that is revealed at the end. There's a little surprise waiting for our characters at the end that I hope the viewer doesn't see coming.

I'm happy with how my film turned out, even though the animation isn't as fluidic as I had hoped. The bad aspects do not outweigh the good but I think my back may disagree. I also learned that for the two scenes I had help with, a second person pressing the capture button on the camera makes a huge difference. What would take ten minutes of frustration turns into one minute of ease once you add a third hand.

I enjoyed making the film and if I had much more time, I know I would take the time to make something to knock your socks off, but for now I'll just get them past the heel.

Looking back on our storyboard project, I'd have to say it was a good learning experience. This was our first assignment that involved the class to participate with it and some things worked while others did not. First off, I learned it's important to tell the entire class what they need to know while they're grouped up together. Otherwise, it seems we were yelling to get messages out and even then things were lost in translation and this was with college students. It would also be important to use materials that will be visible from a distance like markers rather than pencils where pressure and thickness dictate much of the readability.

Other than those two things, I think this was a positive experience. I would tweak it a bit but I could definitely see this become a viable project for a class.

Here is my final project for the course. It's a stop motion film made using some action figures I picked up from the store and was shot in my bathroom. It required a great deal of patience and could always be improved, but I definitely was able to take in a lot about the process of creating a stop motion film.

This first video is the original video but played at 3X speed to follow the requirements for the assignment.

c.Work as a group to create a visual response to
an auditory expression.

Motivational
Resources: The students can be influenced by any number of videos found
online that are made using figures and the stop motion technique.They will view at least one video on
storyboarding as well as one video having to do with stop motion animation.

Art Materials:
Clear Tape, Digital Camera(s), Tripod(s), Materials for creating an environment
for the characters (paper, objects found around the classroom, other ideas), Pipe
Cleaners, Clay, Pencils, 3X5 note cards, Scissors, Colored paper, music to be
determined by the instructor.

Introduction to
Lesson:Animation as we know
it is a way of creating moving images using slides played in a fast enough
speed to display "movement."Many
animations begin with a plan called a storyboard, which gives an outline and
visual layout of the animation through individual panels usually drawn on
paper.(Paries)Stop motion in particular is using
elements existing in reality and usually using a still camera to take each
frame, manipulating the subject by hand between capturing frames.Stop motion often utilizes human like
figures to give the illusion of bringing life to lifeless objects.Barry Purves talks of how to bring life
to these "puppets" in a way that evokes life in these otherwise inanimate
objects.By using subtle movements
over a longer period of time, animation creates a trick to our eyes.

The
intent of this project is to challenge the students to both analyze a piece of
music and proceed to represent it in a visual way.The purpose is not to make a music video, but instead to
create a visual interpretation of what they hear.Art is an interactive experience that also acts as a
language.Music is also a
universal language, one that is open for all to understand. (Brun).This assignment is made up of two main
parts, the first being a critical understanding of a piece of music as selected
by the instructor.The second part
of the assignment is to translate what is heard and create a visual response to
it first through storyboards, and then a stop motion film of around a minute in
length.The entire class will use
the same piece of music.Suggestions would be instrumental pieces in nature, with the inclusion
of many musical changes to give the students more to work with.Through the course of the project,
students will work in groups to create a film that visualizes a response to the
music, without the necessity to be played along with it.

Instructional
Procedure

Class 1:
Introduce the class to stop motion animation as well as basic
storyboarding.Use an example like
one that could be found on Youtube to show both storyboarding and stop motion
animation.Instruct the class on
the idea that animation is made up of many images to create the illusion of
movement.After the class is
familiarized with the ideas of stop motion and storyboarding, introduce them to
the second aspect of the project by having them listen to the selected piece of
music.After they have listened to
it, ask for thoughts that come to their mind when they hear this music and put
them on the chalk or white board.These can be colors, feelings, textures, etc.These can be physical or emotional aspects.Inform the students that they will be
split into groups of 4-5 and they will ultimately be creating stop motion films
that respond to the music they've just listened to.Then break them into groups of 4-5 students a group and
provide them with note cards and pencils to begin storyboarding.Push the idea of abstract rather than
conceptual subjects, this means rather than realistic forms, they should use
forms that best convey the ideas they have for their short films.Play the piece of music one more time
at the end of class and collect the finished storyboards.

Class 2: For this
class the students will be given access to sections of the classroom to film
their movies.Once the students
are in their groups, give them the art materials listed as supplies and play
the piece of music once they are situated.Rather than playing the music on loop, consider playing the
music every ten minutes so the students have more mental freedom to express
their interpretations rather than being hit over the head with repetition.They are then to utilize any supplies
given to create an environment for their films.They should be instructed to use low picture quality on a
4x3 picture ratio (640X480 pixels), as that will make the editing process much
smoother.Also touch on the
importance of keeping the camera still and also creating many frames using
small changes because each frame will only make up about a tenth of a
second.The students should
designate and rotate around alternating who will be manipulating the scene and
who will be taking the photos.Enforce ideas of creating a theme using color to convey emotion.This is also the time to remind them of
some animation techniques such as using their hands as long as their hands are
of the frame (this can be done by using clever camera focus).Today is devoted to gathering images
and at the end of class or whenever the groups fill their memory cards, they
will transfer their images to the computers they will be editing on.

Class 3: This
class will again be devoted to capturing images just as the previous
session.Groups will need to
generate a large amount of images to create a fluidic film, and so this class
and the next will be dedicated to this purpose.As a way of presenting the pieces, play the music for the
class less and less frequently.While this is up to the individual instructor, it is important to allow
the piece to retain what it is, rather than become background noise to the
groups.Students will once again
back up their images so as to begin where left off for the next class.

Class 4: As
stated, this class will be devoted to the generation of frames for the film
just like the last.If groups
begin to finish, they may begin editing their films.To do so, they should bring their films into iMovie or
whatever video editing software they can find.Only play the music once or twice today.The students can drag their images
directly into iMovie and change the time of each frame to about one tenth of a
second or less.The less time each
clip is, the cleaner the animation will be but also the shorter the film will be.Students must balance this so that they
create a film that reflects their interpretation about the piece.

Class 5: The
entire class should be editing their films this class period.When students finish, have a productive
activity for them to work with.Go
around helping with any technical needs.

Class 6: The
groups should be given the first part of class to finish their films.Then they will be asked to present
their films.As the instructor,
this is a chance to open up a discussion.Running different kinds of music to the films the students have created
can create contrasts.Ask them if
this creates different feelings for the pieces or if their feelings can
change.What should be displayed
is a wide variety of interpretations that work like the telephone game in which
the beginning message is the same, but as it progresses, changes can take
place.Being that the case, the
less the original piece of music is played throughout the project, the wider
the interpretations to it will be.

Evaluation/Assessment

The evaluation for the project will be based on the
objectives stated earlier in the lesson plan as well as what is included in the
introduction to the assignment.

DBAE Checklist

Art Production - Students will develop environments,
storyboards, and stop motion animations.

Aesthetics - Students will design each scene based on a
vision they can collectively envision.

Art History - Students will experience stop motion animation
similar to how professional animators make films today and in the past.

Art Criticism - Students will be asked to provide ideas and
criticism to each other as well as point out what works well with each project.They will also be challenged to
translate musical art into visual art.

Bibliography:

Brun, Herbert, "The Listener's Interpretation of Music, An
Experience Between Cause and Effect," 1970, http://www.herbertbrun.org/listener.html

c.Develop a film that succeeds in displaying
collaborative efforts that followed a planned and thought out process.

Motivational
Resources: The students can be influenced by any number of videos found
online that are made using figures and the stop motion technique.They will view at least one video on
storyboarding as well as one video having to do with stop motion animation.

Art Materials:
Clear Tape, Digital Camera(s), Tripod(s), Materials for creating an environment
for the characters (paper, objects found around the classroom, other ideas),
Figures that can be posed such as toys with multiple joints provided by teacher
and student contributions, pencils, 3X5 note cards, scissors.

Introduction to
Lesson:Animation as we know
it is a way of creating moving images using slides played in a fast enough
speed to display "movement."Many
animations begin with a plan called a storyboard, which gives an outline and
visual layout of the animation through individual panels usually drawn on
paper.(Paries)Stop motion in particular is using
elements existing in reality and usually using a still camera to take each
frame, manipulating the subject by hand between capturing frames.Stop motion often utilizes human like
figures to give the illusion of bringing life to lifeless objects.Barry Purves talks of how to bring life
to these "puppets" in a way that evokes life in these otherwise inanimate
objects.By using subtle movements
over a longer period of time, animation creates a trick to our eyes.

For
this project the students will be creating short films using stop motion
animation.These films are
intended to expose the students to ideas of motion using subtlety and patience.The ideas for the films are up to them,
but they must (as a group) develop a concept from the ground up and in the end
create something that the entire group can agree on.Through the course of this project, they should develop an
understanding for animation as well as a grasp on working with a group of
people, each holding their own ideas to create a final product.

Instructional
Procedure

Class 1:
Introduce the class to stop motion animation as well as basic
storyboarding.Familiarize them
with the ideas behind stop motion using figures or "action figures."Make it known that the goal is to
create life-like qualities out of the life-less figures.Inform the students (based on what the
instructor can provide) that their groups should provide figures from home and
that the more movable, the better.Also inform them that they should not bring figures they have a deep
attachment to but they will be able to get them back at the end of the project
if they wish. Then split the class into groups based on the number of cameras
available, going no smaller than about four students to a group.Proceed to hand out a stack of note
cards to each group as well as a pencil to each student.Tell the students to discuss with their
group what they would like to accomplish for their film (some sort of dance, a
short adventure, etc), and that it is their job to each contribute to the
storyboard.Have them keep in mind
that the more figures in each scene, the longer each scene will take to
create.After the students create
their storyboards they should discuss within their group who will bring what
for the next class

Class 2: For this
class the students will be given access to sections of the classroom to film
their movies.They are then to
utilize any supplies given to create an environment for their films.They should be instructed to use low
picture quality on a 4x3 picture ratio (640X480 pixels), as that will make the
editing process much smoother.Also touch on the importance of keeping the camera still and also creating
many frames using small changes because each frame will only make up about a
tenth of a second.The students
should designate and rotate around alternating who will be manipulating the
figures and who will be taking the photos.To ensure characters can stand on their own, tell them they
can apply tape to the feet or other surfaces to keep the characters standing
and since it's clear tape, it shouldn't show up on camera.This is also the time to remind them of
some animation techniques such as using their hands as long as their hands are
of the frame (this can be done by using clever camera focus).Today is devoted to gathering images
and at the end of class or whenever the groups fill their memory cards, they
will transfer their images to the computers they will be editing on.

Class 3: This
class will again be devoted to capturing images just as the previous
session.If any groups manage to
finish capturing their images (to a point they feel is done) they will proceed
to editing their films.To do this
they will be asked to drag their files into iMovie or whatever editing software
is available.It will be important
for the instructor to be familiar with this process before this class period.They will then be able to edit their
films how they see fit, and drag in music using Garageband, if this is not
available the instructor is to provide music that the students can legally use
in their movies.Help out groups
in need of any and continue monitoring progress.Groups should ideally finish capturing images today.

Class 4: Each
group should ideally finish capturing images on this day.They should also attempt to finish
editing their films and should each hopefully be at least 30-40 seconds in
length.If students are having
trouble meeting the requirements, tell them they can incorporate still images
to break up the film a bit.If any
groups finish, they can do an activity deemed productive.

Class 5: Groups
have the first half of class to finish editing films.The second half of class, groups will present their films to
the class.

Evaluation/Assessment

The evaluation for the project will be based on the
objectives stated earlier in the lesson plan as well as what is included in the
introduction to the assignment.

DBAE Checklist

Art Production - Students will develop characters,
environments, storyboards, and stop motion animations.

Aesthetics - Students will design each scene based on a
vision they can collectively envision.

Art History - Students will experience stop motion animation
similar to how professional animators make films today and in the past.

Art Criticism - Students will be asked to provide ideas and
criticism to each other as well as point out what works well with each project.

This process was a lot of fun. While we would do some things differently to make the project less busy work, it worked really well and we're pleased with the results. We were able to create an original piece of work while working hand in hand with students. I would definitely jump at this chance again. Very positive experience.